


Shatter

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 17:42:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13276605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Anne finally breaks free from the crystal that has imprisoned her for so long, and takes revenge on the one who put her there.





	Shatter

It had been too long. Anne had been trapped in Pandoria for too long, and she’d never been a patient woman. She didn’t know precisely how long she had been trapped here, only that it felt like a long time had passed. So long since she’d last felt anything. Felt the soft fur of her horse under her fingers, the softness of his muzzle, his muscles flexing beneath her legs as he jumped. The feeling of calloused fingers so gentle on her face, her lips. The feeling of another’s woman’s lips on her own, another warm body in her arms.

But all Anne had been able to feel lately was anger. Anger, and hurt, and frustration, and rage. That and the ever-present feeling of the crystal pressing down on her. Digging into her skin, under her fingernails, crawling down her throat. She was surprised that she could even still see.

And sometimes, she wished that she couldn’t see. Couldn’t see those poor lost souls who came to save her, only to be ripped to pieces by the shadows that her worst jailer could summon. She could still hear their screams.

Eventually, even ‘princess’ Anne got sick of the sight of pink. She closed her eyes, wishing that she could just lie down and sleep. But not die. She’d wished for that, once. But after this last visitor had been…

The light that the girl had emitted had shone like a beacon, blindingly bright, especially to Anne’s light-sensitive eyes after so long here in the darkness. But a lingering eyestrain headache hadn’t been the only thing that the light had left. It had reignited a spark deep inside Anne, one that urged her to fight, to get revenge, to not just lie down and die just because she’d gotten trapped inside a crystal.

And now, the once-frightened girl was pissed beyond belief. When she heard the fooststeps on the stone, those booted feet approaching, she was ready. Anne opened her eyes and glared at the black-clad figure that strode into her line of sight. Cracks fractured out through the crystal as her hands fisted at her sides.

“Why hello there, princess,” the so-called Dark Princess sneered. “How lovely to see you still here.” Anne hadn’t risen to the bait in a long time, not after Jessica had turned her words back on her.

“I wish I could say the same for you,” said Anne. “But black just looks so tacky on some people. You should know that it washes your skin out, you were a model, weren’t you?”

“Oh, please,” said Jessica with a snort. “I never wanted to be one of those vain, stupid models. They’re all airheads. You would’ve fit right in, though.”

Anne grit her teeth, more cracks spreading out from her.

“You’re too ugly to be a model anyway,” said Anne. “Just look at you, you didn’t even try to contour.” Jessica scoffed.

“Who needs contour when you have cheekbones that could cut someone?” said Jessica.

“Once I get out of here, I’ll slice you to ribbons,” said Anne. Her voice was cold, colder than she’d ever expected it to be. But it was ice that ran through her veins now, not the fires of rage. She couldn’t fight well if she was angry, Alex had taught her that. Precision and power, those were the important factors in a fight. And Anne had been studying precision for years- after all, what kind of a dressage rider would she be if she couldn’t be precise in her routine? Every turn, every step, every movement had to be just so. And right now, she had to keep Jessica distracted so that her enemy would not hear the deep, muffled cracks of the crystal finally cracking open.

“I’d like to see you try,” said Jessica with an infuriating smile. Anne grit her teeth, but she did not growl in anger. Words could cut just as deeply as swords, and they could also distract better than any short skirt or batting eyelashes.

“You know, I don’t recall seeing you after my wonderful horse and I kicked you through the portal,” said Anne. “And believe me, I saw what that did to Mr Sands. What, were you too afraid to show your ruined face? And here I thought you weren’t vain.” Jessica turned her head away, scowling. The hit made Anne grin, and the cracks spread out through the crystal, racing to the surface. Yes. Let her suffer, like Anne now suffered, let the bitch get what she deserved.

Jessica turned back, about to say something else, when the crystal finally shattered with a sound like breaking glass. Anne fell to the ground, but she landed on her feet. She’d expected to feel weak. But no, now that Anne was in front of her enemy at last, rage burned through her again, simmering just under the surface.

“How did you get out?” Jessica asked, stepping away from the horrific being that now stood in front of her. The crystal had not let Anne go easily. Shards of pink Pandorium stuck out of her arms, her legs, spines going up her back, puncturing through the fabric of her once-nice dressage outfit. A few even clinked in her hair.

“I don’t know,” said Anne coolly, her now-pink eyes burning with rage. “I guess I was just ready to hatch.”

“Like hell you are,” said Jessica, and threw her arm out to bring her shadows to her side. She sent them arcing out towards Anne, but Anne easily sidestepped them. A fight, Alex had told her, was like a dance. One must use grace, and poise, and precision. Really, the only difference was that your opponent must die.

Anne continued to dodge Jessica’s shadows, even as they got sharper and hit more often. Despite her lengthy imprisonment, Anne was still quite nimble and had good balance. Even with the spines now protruding from her back and legs. But the ones on her legs, mercifully, shattered as her legs bent and her body moved to avoid the lashing shadows.

The fight continued, as one-sided as it was, until Jessica managed to back Anne up against the wall of the cave. Jessica smirked at her, a shadow poised to pierce Anne’s heart. If it could get past the crystal now encasing her ribs. Annoyed by the discomfort of the spines scraping against the rock wall, Anne reached behind herself, meaning to rearrange them. Instead, she discovered that one was loose. It moved in her flesh, like a splinter. Gritting her teeth, Anne lunged to the side and pulled the crystal free, crying out in pain as it tore her flesh. One end of it dripped with a pink substance that Anne knew was her blood, just like she knew that the things sticking to that end were bits of flesh. She also knew that she would vomit about this later.

But right now, Anne finally had a weapon to wield against her attacker. She had learned to fight with a sword, but this crystal was fine too. Even if the grip was a little slippery with blood, and a spot in her back still cried out in pain from what she’d done. Later. Later, later, later. She had to make ‘later’ a certainty first, however.

Anne thrust the crystal at Jessica, who stepped back quickly, alarm flashing in those green eyes. But it was quickly replaced with determination. The dark warrior formed a sword out of pure shadow, and it clashed against the crystal. Anne grit her teeth, holding her ground.

“Wow, you fight pretty well, for a princess,” said Jessica. Anne whirled, managing to get in a hit across Jessica’s stomach while the General was distracted. Jessica gasped, looking down at the shallow wound, and Anne took her chance. Slipping around behind Jessica, she held the sharp crystal across the General’s throat in a menacing gesture.

“You were a fool to underestimate me, Garnok,” Anne chuckled. Jessica tried to kick her, but Anne was too quick. Taking a step back, Anne grabbed the crystal in her hand, tightened her grip, and drove the point home in the upper middle of her back. Right where she’d learned the heart was.

The defeated General fell from her grip, the shadows dissipating, as Anne panted. Red blood now mixed with pink on the crystal as Anne wrenched it free. Light faded from Jessica’s eyes as blood dripped from her mouth, but it wasn’t enough. Gritting her teeth, Anne drew the crystal back and stabbed her again. And again. In her stomach, her chest. Blood flew, splattering Anne’s good clothing and the crystals that now grew from it. Jessica’s screams filled her ears, but it made Anne feel good. Finally, she was getting revenge for those poor people who had only come here in a futile attempt to save her.

Anne only stopped when she almost toppled over onto the body in exhaustion. She leaned back, panting, the crystal rolling from her open palm slick with blood. It hurt, but… Anne knew that she couldn’t rest. Jessica would revive soon, or however it was that the Generals managed to stick around for centuries. And so she got up, the ground slick with her blood and Jessica’s, and began the trek along the path. Back home. She didn’t know how she’d get home, exactly, but she’d killed a General. She would find her Concorde, and then she would make them pay for everything that had been done. For the taunts, for the hallucinations that her friends and family had been here. For the hallucinations that she’d escaped. And if this was another one…

There would be nothing left of Katja to identify once Anne was done with her, if this was indeed another hallucination of escaping. But it felt real, at least. There had been no pain in the other hallucinations. Not physical, anyway. Nothing like the agony now radiating from that spot in her spine, the one that had her adding her own scream to the eternal screams that could be heard here.


End file.
